Fire Training for Healthcare Organizations

When Every Second Counts, is a Learning Management Solution (LMS) really the solution?

Are we different? Yes. Has anyone ever walked out of one of our trainings and said, “That was dull!” No. Our belief is that staff and leadership will not respond properly to a fire unless they are trained under realistic conditions. Therefore, we provide staff and leadership with appropriate hands-on training and drills to reduce the potential for loss of life and injury in a fire emergency.

Visualize this situation:

It is 2:00 AM. A nurse smells something burning. Unsure of what it is, they follow the odor to its source. The patient was thought to be a “closet smoker,” but no one had caught them red handed. This time, they went too far. The alarm sounds just as the nurse yells “Code Red!” down the hallway. The bed is on fire and the patient is partially as well. You have seconds to make the first decision – run and get a fire extinguisher or attempt to smother the fire and remove the patient from the bed. While this is happening, the Charge Nurse is working to coordinate other responding staff. Does the House/Nursing Supervisor even know this is happening? 60 seconds may be the difference between your team containing the fire and losing control of the situation, even in a fully sprinklered building (smoke control). Your clinical and support staff train for patients coding, but how much hands-on training have they had for a fire?

Primary reasons for the loss of life in healthcare fires include:

Lack of attention or knowledge of fire prevention techniques (specifically for clinical teams in procedural settings).

Improper fire procedures that do not complement the fire protection features of the building, staffing patterns and/or unique patient/resident acuity.

Inadequate training of staff (under realistic conditions) in their:

fire procedures.

special handling of sophisticated equipment.

complex and special needs of patient populations.

RPA Trains More Than 200,000 Healthcare Leadership & Staff On:

Supression

How to properly smother a fire on a patient’s clothing while protecting their airway and yourself (is there really time to get a fire extinguisher in that situation?)

Smoke Awareness

We put staff through simulated smoke conditions. If you have not seen a true smoke condition, how can you know if it is safe to enter a room filling with smoke?

Sheet Slide Bed Removal Techniques

Staff learn and practice how to safely remove non-ambulatory patients from their bed and bring them to the floor to be removed from the fire room.

Surgical Fires

We provide training for surgeons, anesthesia providers, nurses and surgical technologists for ORs and procedural areas.

Leadership Training

Focused training on critical thinking to guide the facility through a fire emergency. Leadership meetings are intended to focus on short and long-term initiatives to improve patient safety.

Resident Training

We provide educational opportunities for residents to focus on fire prevention, fire safety, and their response during a fire (Assisted Living / Senior Independent Living).

Fire Drills

We can complete them for you or work with your internal team to make fire drills a meaningful experience; not just checking a box to maintain compliance. Drill effectively & respond efficiently.

Annual Training Services

Annual training services include training for staff and leadership on fire procedures, current case studies on outcomes of recent fires and a telephone helpline for safety and regulatory compliance-related questions.

MidState Medical Center holds annual training with all of their leadership, clinical, ancillary and support staff. The video shows some of the hands-on fire suppression and educational components, but add to that the live smoke training, leadership training and fire response team training and you can visualize the complete package.

R.A.C.E. For Safety DVD

There are an average of 2,900 long-term care fires annually (NFPA® data). The R.A.C.E. for Safety DVD provides nursing homes and continuing care retirement communities (or any healthcare facility authorized by the Fire Department to defend-in-place) with supplemental education for new staff members and enhances overall fire training by bringing proven fire safety approaches, suppression techniques and evacuation processes to the healthcare facility.

ABOUT RPA

RPA, a JENSEN HUGHES company, is a team of fire, code compliance and emergency management experts, providing specialized technology and professional services to healthcare facilities throughout the United States and Canada. Since 1976, we have provided unparalleled service to thousands of healthcare facilities (more than 1,300 current clients) and train more than 200,000 healthcare leaders and staff on an annual basis.